1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a transmission and more particularly to a solenoid operated actuator for positioning a clutch arrangement in a transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In marine drives it is desirable to provide a double clutch type clutching arrangement of the type set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,267 wherein a shaft collar is provided between a pair of actuated clutch mechanisms for positioning an output shaft to locate forward and reverse gears to transfer power from an input shaft to the output shaft in either a reverse or forward mode and wherein the shift collar is locatable in a neutral position. The shift collar is connected to a shift fork that provides for axial movement of the shift collar in response to manual positioning of an actuator arm identified by reference numeral 65 in the '267 patent. The actuator arm 65 constitutes the input to a manual shift 10 shown in Prior Art FIGS. 1 and 2. The actuator arm 65 of manual shift 10 is connected to a rotatable shaft 12 that carries an eccentric 14 on the end thereof. The manual shift 10 is bolted to the transmission housing at one end thereof by a connection plate 16 that forms a journal for a bearing and seal assembly 18 that rotatably supports and seals the shaft 12 with respect to the housing of the transmission. The eccentric 14 engages an end portion 19 of a shift fork 20 that is slidably supported on a selector shaft 22 carried by the transmission in spaced parallelism to the output shaft of the transmission. When the actuator arm 65 is positioned vertically as shown in FIG. 1, the transmission is in neutral. When the actuator arm 65 is moved either into the position 65a or 65b, the clutch mechanisms of the transmission are positioned to produce either reverse or forward drive as more particularly set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,267 that is incorporated herein by reference.
While suitable for its intended purpose, the shift actuator in the '267 patent requires manual positioning. Furthermore, lateral movement of the shift fork on the selector shaft can cause undesirable wear.